Letter 210
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Paul
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on the brevity of human life and its implications for how we spend our time and attention.
The things of this life are fleeting and shadowy. The things of the next are eternal and real. This is not a consolation to be offered to those in distress — it is a fact to be reckoned with in all one's decisions.
The man who spends his life accumulating what he cannot take with him has not lived wisely, whatever his worldly success. The man who has invested in what endures has built something that neither death nor time can remove.
The question is not whether you will die. It is whether you will have prepared for what comes after.
ἢε υἷα! ἀμπιαπα ὀτεοίίαιε. Εαὐμία οἰ ππιῦτα δεῖ : [μίγα ἀμίφηι αίογπα δεῖ. ((ΟΉ[εΥ φιρ. δρίεί. , .) ΝΣ νἱῖα ἀἰδογὶ ἃ βοθηὰ : ηἶ}}}} θη [Γ- γυη], ηἶμ!} }, σοΟηδῖδηβ } δες βοϊ αι ἰχυϊπαυθ οομΐποι : ὕκμιδτγα εμπὶ εἰοπῖηι Τγ Πι αἰ, αἰλ οἷά. Ουΐδυβ νογ}} Πα ΄υοπηοίο Σχηνῆῇς οὐδὲν, ὦ βέλτιστε, ὁ παρὼν διενήνοχε βίος, οὐδὲν βέθδαιον, ἣ μόνιμον, ἣ σταθερὸν, ἢ πά- γιον ἔχων. Σχιὰ γὰρ τὰ θγητῶν,, λέγει ἡ χωμ- ῳδία (θυ). Οἷς οὐχ οἶδ᾽ ὅπως ἑάλως, χαΐτοι τὸν χωμι- ΟΆριι οΟμ οἱ ἀΐοίαπι ᾿ΠΠυὰ Δ μΐγοῦ : παπὶ ἴῃ μΔα (ὁ χὺν θαυμάζων. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ υἱίδ ὈΟΠ πηδίϑαιια {ιχία δύυπι δογιϊα τ ἤπειῃ, ᾿ἰφια οἰ εἰ Βϑίπη. ἴῺ ( ὙΘ͵ΓΟ υἱγΓΆφῃα ἰν ΦἰΘΓηΠὶ Ργοάιισυμίυν νἱιδν. ἙΓΟΧΙΥ͂. --- ΟΡΗΕΙΙῸ ΟΠΑΉΜΑΤΙΟΘΟ. τὰ χαλεπὰ πέρας ἔχει, χαὶ τοῦτο τάχιστον" ἐχεῖ δὲ ἀθανάτοις ἀμφότερα παρεχτείνεται αἰῶσιν. ΣΜΕ', --- ΩΦΕΛΔΙΩ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΙΚΩ. ἤΠιάσφι πισας τίχαδηιο (ἀταηιηιαί οοΥμηι. Ἐνιειάυ αυϊά,., οἰδὶ νοσδϑυϊογιμι δδοιδιογίθιβ δἰίιοῦ νἱάθδίαγ, υθοθυδ ἱπαριΐγθ, δ ἀδ ἢΐδ οὐηίοη- ἐεγο. ΕΛ αυουΐαπι ἰηβοηί δρίγϊ αυδοὶ Δοουγδία ᾿μδίγυςίυδ, ΟροΓ ρΓΟίΐ ] (Δοιυγυᾷ γ᾽ ἀθδγ, δὶ τοι πάδι ἤδης ἰυἱ ρογϑαδοίϑηθη, ἐϊρεσδύτατος χαὶ νεώτατος, ἀ ἀυοθυδ ἀϊεὶ γεοῖθ ἐγαίσι υὺς πϑβὰὶ, βοὰ οἱ ἐδ ρἰαγίθυθ. Ὧ ἀυοῦθυβ νϑγὸ βθηίογθω, [ι- ψυχρὸν μέν ἐστι, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς λεξιθήραις δοχεῖ,. τὸ σμιχρολογεῖν, χαὶ περὶ τοιούτων ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἄμιλλαν. ᾿Αλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ μέγα φρονεῖς ἐπὶ τῷ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀχριθῶς εἰδέναι, οὐχ ἄτοπον εἶναί μοι φαίνεται σδέ- σαι σον τὸ ἐπὶ τούτοις φρόνημα. Ὁ γὰρ πρεσδύτα- πος καὶ ὁ νεώτατος, οὐχ ἐπὶ δυοῖν ἀδελφοῖν, ὡ; φὴξν ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ πολλῶν λέγεται. Ἐπὶ δυοῖν γὰρ, ὁ πρεσδύ- "ἰοτθιῶαυθ, πἰδὶ δοοϑάδι ἰδγίἰυ. Θιιυὰ ἱ δοοδάδι, Ὁ τερος χαὶ ὁ νεώτερος, ὡς ἄλλων οὐχ ὄντων μέσων᾽ ἰυης ἰηϊδηθὲν! ἰδ ὐυτη δυρογίδιϊοη γοασΐθυ . -- ΟΟΧΕΥ͂Ι. --- ΖΟΘΙΜῸ ΡΒΕΘΒΥΤΕΒΟ. εἰ δὲ εἶεν, τοῖς ἐπιτατιχοζς ὀνόμασι τοὺς ἄχρους χλητέον,
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Paul
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on the brevity of human life and its implications for how we spend our time and attention.
The things of this life are fleeting and shadowy. The things of the next are eternal and real. This is not a consolation to be offered to those in distress — it is a fact to be reckoned with in all one's decisions.
The man who spends his life accumulating what he cannot take with him has not lived wisely, whatever his worldly success. The man who has invested in what endures has built something that neither death nor time can remove.
The question is not whether you will die. It is whether you will have prepared for what comes after.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.